Sleep
by Kjesta
Summary: Auron did not sleep. Auron rested, or dozed, or you thought he was asleep until he opened his eyes and stared straight at you, with a gaze that showed clearly that he was watching you as much as vice versa, probably more.


**Title: Sleep (7-2-08)**

**Author: Kjesta**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the characters or the game Final Fantasy X. (Oh, I do have the game, but I don't own any of the rights and blah.)**

**Rating: K**

**Warnings: Maybe some crazy fangirls can see some boy's love in this if they squint and try very, very hard. It's not meant for romance. Also, a spoiler in the A/N at the very end.**

**Word Count: 968**

**Music recommendation is "Si te vas" by Shakira. I listened to it all the while writing, even though maybe it doesn't fit one hundred percent. (Maybe I should also mention that I don't understand Spanish, so I'm sorry if the text doesn't fit at all with the story. I heard it for its mood only.)**

The door opened swiftly and quietly, just barely admitting a shadow to flit inside almost noiselessly before it was shut again with as much care as before. For a long while, only breathing filled the room, the deep, soothed breathes of sleep drawn from a man's chest, covered in scars, and the slightly quickened, excited breathe of a youth, barely more than a boy, with no more mars on his skin than adolescence usually showed, and little of even that.

Tidus felt around with his hand in the dark, fingers groping blindly, carefully, until they met the familiar curved shape of the door handle, cool metal against his skin. Letting his unseeing gaze travel across the dark room, he pressed his ear against the door, lightly, as if the contact of flesh and wood would cause a bang loud enough to wake anyone within miles.

Yes, there were steps outside.

He held his breathe as they drew closer, accompanying mutters peeling out of the shadowed silence. Only when they had passed outside in the corridor, he let the air escape from his lungs in a sigh. Oh heaven.

Tidus did not know whether he believed in something like heaven, since coming to know about the Abyssum he had come to doubts, but after discovering that he had accidentally cut up Wakka's treasured blitzball - the one he had won the game against the Luca Goers with, his baby, one might think when seeing him look at it fondly - while practising the sword, it might be a good time to start believing in it. That he didn't know now whether there was a life after death was merely thanks to the fact that he was faster than Wakka. Barely. And his lifesaver had turned out to be a door, opened in the dark, to let him slip inside and escape the red-head's unmerciful wrath. A close run, though.

His chest was rising more steadily now, calmer, slowly coming down from the adrenaline rushing through his veins a mere minute ago. Black pupils widened, pushing back clear blue irises, as they slowly adjusted to the darkness surrounding him, swallowing the room around him.

It was Auron's room. And Auron was asleep.

With a sigh, Tidus seated himself on the floor, deciding that maybe it wouldn't harm to wait some minutes for Wakka to calm down - and retreat into his room, so Tidus could risklessly return to his own.

Auron was asleep.

Tidus found himself watching the dark shape that had to be his body move slightly, chest rising and fallen evenly. It was strangely intriguing. Auron did not sleep. Auron rested, or dozed, or you thought he was asleep until he opened his eyes and stared straight at you, with a gaze that showed clearly that he was watching you as much as vice versa, probably more. But now, the man that had been his guardian for so many years was sleeping tightly, not even noticing as Tidus got up to his knees and propped his elbows up on the mattress, chin resting on his palms. Really, intriguing. Fascinating.

It was rare to see Auron with even his one eye closed. The other, with the scar slashed across it, was blind permanently, and he seemed intent to see as much with the one left as he usually would have with both, never letting it slide shut as if afraid that he might miss out on a danger sneaking up while he blinked. Blinking was the only luxury he granted himself, and maybe dozing when the camp seemed safe and everyone else slept already.

Of course Auron had to sleep sometimes. Tidus knew he had to, no one could go on forever without even a minute of real rest. But strangely, he still had never seen him do that. Really, strange.

Tidus knew his face so well he could have sculpted it from clay without even looking at the man before he did it - well, had he been able to do anything crafty, that was. But in principle, he could have if he wanted to.

Auron looked older than he was, though Tidus had somehow never asked for his exact age, aged by years of hardship and loss and keeping promises that were eating him up inside, probably. Tidus wasn't sure what he would have felt had Wakka asked him to look after his - quite hypothetical - son shortly before walking into certain death, or worse. Or if Yuna had asked. With that, there pulsed a pang of something indefinable through his mind. If he was to look after Yuna's children, he'd make sure before they were his own.

Giving a small groan, he rubbed his temples. He was being silly. He would see them through this, _they_ would see themselves through this, together, and then would be time for thoughts like that. For silly thoughts.

"Need help?"

A voice, dark and tinted with its usual brusqueness, rough and smooth as a cat's tongue. He smiled lop-sidedly into his palms.

"No," he replied with a slight shake of his head. There was a nod in the dark.

"Good."

Heaving a small sigh, Tidus got up. He should have known. Auron just did not sleep. Not really. As he reached for the door handle again, he paused. And turned to look at a face he could not make out properly in the dark anyway.

"My father really meant something to you, didn't he?"

A small grunt. "As much as someone can mean to you who is not the summoner you swore to protect with your life." Which could mean a thousand things, really.

And the door closed quietly, cutting off the small golden band of light that was painted onto the floor from the corridor inside.

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**I never thought I'd ever write a Final Fantasy fanfiction, much less about Auron and Tidus. How very strange. I just finished FFX yesterday, and I have to hold back crying just thinking about Tidus. I'm playing FFX-2 now, but as much as I love the fighting system, I just can't bond with Yuna like in the former game. I adore her in FFX. **

**Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this drabblish bit of fangirl ranting. Auron rules. Old men can definitely be sexy! If they're like him, at least.**


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